• About

fivenineteen

~ My eclectic musings on reality…

fivenineteen

Tag Archives: pedicure

Club 45

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by fivenineteen in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

birthday, breathe, depression, family, food, hockey, massage, pampering, pedicure, personal growth, positivity, relaxing, romance, shopping, work

How in hell did I get to be 45?? Before I go into panic mode, let me breathe and remember…what’s that saying about getting older…enjoy it because it’s a privilege denied to many.  Ah, now that feels better.

I really do feel younger and sillier than I did in my 20s and 30s.  I was trying to stake a claim at some sort of career path and figure so much out.  Sure I had fun, but I was pretty serious at the core. 

And the two paths of my life, personal and professional, really started ‘forking’ and developing (or not) in very different ways.  I wouldn’t call myself a whiz or expert in my jobs, but I do good work and I’m proud of it.  I’m proud that I can provide for myself and support myself in a fairly decent lifestyle.  The personal side of me, well, that’s been a slippery path.  I struggled with depression starting in my late 20s and early 30s.  My friends, cousins and my brother were all getting married and having children…really turning into ‘adults’ I guess.  And me?  Nope.  Why wasn’t it happening for me?  Sure, there were dates and a few boyfriends but none of those relationships went anywhere.   Was there something wrong with me?  Did I miss something important about adult life or successful romantic relationships that everyone magically learned and I spaced?   Ugh, I hate feeling like some weirdo leftover freakazoid.   What was it??

Well, a few rounds of counseling and the school that is Life have helped immensely.  I never wanted to try going on antidepressants or anything.  Something about the fact they chemically alter the brain kind of freaks me out.  Maybe that’s not entirely a true statement.  I know many people who have taken them and it’s been extremely beneficial for them.  

I just keep trying to be open and self-aware and continue to grow and improve wherever I can at being the best I can be.  Sure there have been years that were clunkers, growing/rebuilding years and, looking back, a few that were downright shitty.  I’m a firm believer that everything happens exactly as it’s suppose to happen, even if the reason for it is not entirely clear in the moment.  And I never, ever give up.  I know that positivity is one of my strengths.  Yes, I do want to get married eventually. 

So, yesterday was my birthday (and the reason for the name of this blog too).  Given this was a mini-milestone birthday of sorts, I decided I deserved a little extra pampering. 

I got a massage on Thursday.  Hoo doggy, this was such an amazing experience that I am probably going to shuffle around some of my budget so I can get one monthly.  Kind of sad it’s been 5 years since I’ve had one!  And it shows alright!! J had her work cut out for her, as my upper shoulders and back are cement-like and full of knots.  I joked with her ahead of time about this and we had a good laugh.  She also suggested I play around with how I have my work and home laptops positioned.  My arms are pretty short compared to my torso and rest of my body, and she says I likely have the keyboards too far away, so the constant reaching causes stress and strain in my arms, shoulders and pecs.  Ah, makes sense!  Kind of sad how “just” working away at a desk on a computer can cause injuries over time!  Oh, and how did I connect up with J?  She is a client of L’s; he built her website in the link above.  Nice!

So on my actual birthday I had a wonderful lunch with my folks at Milagro in downtown Kirkland.  Such a prime spot right on Lake Street!  And the weather was beautiful, so everyone was out with kids, dogs, biking, roller blading…just glorious.  And crowded too; I joke that when the weather gets nice you simply cannot be in a hurry if you are driving through that part of town. 

This was the first time at Milagro for all 3 of us.  And what do they say about first impressions…the ambiance is very nice and we were seated at a very generous sized booth.  Only when the server brought the menus did we notice a large area of the table had not been wiped clean.  Oops.  Later when our iced teas came my Mom’s glass was dirty.  Ew.  Thankfully they were very apologetic and fixed the problems quickly, but after that I was closely inspecting every piece of silverware and the dishes as we were served the whole rest of the lunch! Too funny.  The food was very good – we had a trio of salsas and chips for appetizers, and I had a wonderful chopped salad with carrots, corn, black beans, avocado and radishes…and a few other things that escape me right now.   Mom had a shrimp salad with apples and jicama and Dad chose the Enchiladas.  Delicious!

So I figured I need to stop denying myself indulgent things (within reason so I don’t break my budget) and just spend time getting more pampering.  Reserving time in my life to relax and recharge without guilt.  The massage was a huge, glaring reminder in neon letters that this is SO important to my well-being and feeling totally connected with my body.

Later in the afternoon I spent a little time shopping at Sur La Table – gosh we are so blessed to have this store in Kirkland!  I picked up some new kitchen hand soap and lotion (limoncello scented, yes!) and some tongs and a flexible trivet both in happy apple green.

And I topped off my pampering with a much-needed, overdue pedicure.  This was a total last-minute decision – I was so happy they had an opening!!  Now I can wear my open-toes shoes and sandals without cringing, well, for the next couple weeks or so.  Love it.

Summer hockey season starts tonight! I can’t WAIT to get back on the ice.  THIS is the best way to fight off good ol’ middle age…skate your ass off with a bunch of late 20-something (mostly) teammates.  Who I love like brothers.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sunshine, Iced Coffee, Billionaires and Pedicures

21 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by fivenineteen in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

billionaire, Carillon Point, Kirkland, kiss, mountains, pedicure, sunshine

Finally.  Sweet, glorious summer.  REAL summer.

Excuse my 5th generation Seattle bias, but when the sun shines here, there’s nowhere on Earth more beautiful.  I snapped this picture with my phone killing time before my pedicure yesterday.  One of those blissfully indulgent Saturdays where that was the only thing on my to-do list.  Rough life, right?

And look at that view.  This is the marina at Carillon Point in Kirkland, WA, just about a 10 minute drive from my house.  It was a postcard-perfect day…and while it’s hard to see in the picture, you can barely see the outline of the Olympic Mountains along the horizon toward the right.  If it was a little less hazy they would have been out and proud, sprinkled in snow.  That’s Lake Washington, looking west toward Seattle.  All glisten-y.

My pedicure was not until 4pm so I had about an hour to walk around and drink in the sun and the view.  Carillon Point is a wonderful collection of shops and restaurants along the marina, and there’s a very nice hotel and spa too.  I grabbed an iced coffee at the Starbucks and just let myself mentally unwind.  And remember.

This place is so deeply steeped in memories.  How many hairstyles did I go through over the 10 years the hair salon was here?  I remember my brother and sister-in-law’s rehearsal dinner in 1997, in a gorgeous room with a view just like that picture.  And I was chosen to participate in a Neiman Marcus focus group here a few years ago – a bunch of us met in a conference room in one of the office buildings.    

I walked out onto the dock as far as I could, looking out over the water, feeling the warm breeze wash over me. Huge boats. This is where I had a first kiss with my then-boyfriend in 2000.  Wow…ten years ago!  I thought back on all of that, my mind floating, then suddenly heard a large whooping and cheering back on the marina steps.  What was it?  Oh, there was a wedding going on too – this place is hugely popular for that!

Later I strolled back to the marina steps and watched kayackers paddling along.  For all gorgeous the weather was, the lake was pretty choppy.  I giggled to myself, remembering probably one of the most original first dates I’ve ever been on.  This was around 2005ish I think.  I met D online and after some emailing and talking on the phone he asked me to dinner.  But no meeting at the restaurant for us, oh no no no…we met at a boat launch ramp where he was waiting with two kayaks.  Yep, we kayaked to Carillon Point, tied up along the dock right near the Beach Cafe and had dinner!  Oh, and paddled back too, with a gorgeous sunset behind the mountains as backdrop.  It was kind of fun making an entrance to the restaurant via the water.  Looking back on it, was I crazy?  I mean, a first date…on the water?  If I’d been the least bit worried he could have been psycho, meaning that I could have ended up at the bottom of the lake, I wouldn’t have agreed to it of course.  My gut was right – and he and I did go on a few more dates after that. Nice guy, but the chemistry wasn’t quite clicking for us. But I gotta hand it to him for being a perfect gentleman and very funny.  And creative!

So I headed into the spa, dizzy with memories and sunshine.  This was my second pedicure with S in about two months and I think I will stick with her. That’s pretty huge in my book because I probably get pedicures two or three times a year at the most.  Not really a priority for me, or I just do my toes myself.  But S is amazing.   She is absolutely meticulous with her work and it shows.  No complaints here.  A 90 minute pedicure?  Ahhh.  Who knew there was topcoat with UV protection in it?  

S has a whimsical sense of humor – she just cracks me up.  And we can talk hockey too – she’s from Vancouver originally (go Canucks!).  Too funny how I sit here trying to remember some things we talked and laughed about.  My mind is blank, but trust me, we were giggling the entire time.

Oh wait, I do remember one thing.  We were talking about travel and I remembered oh yeah, I’ve got to get my passport renewed.  She said oh yes, you better get right on that!  Why?  She is convinced I’m going to fall in love with and marry a handsome, Swedish billionaire.  Named Sven.  And a girl’s gotta have a passport ready for those spur of the moment trips!

Ummm, I’m OK with this.  Really and truly.   

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 119 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • …and the World got Sucker Punched
  • tap tap tap…is this thing still on?
  • First Soup of 2016! Red Lentil and North African Spices
  • Break on Through to the Other Side…
  • Dreams…Dusted Off

4 agreements birthday bliss book ceiling change changes cookbook cooking drama dreams emotions energy equinox exercise family fitness food food processor friends friendship gluten free gym happiness health hiking hockey home projects ingredients intuitive eating jewelry job joy laptop lean eating love MAC makeup man help memories music networking new year nutrition paint passion precision nutrition preparation projects recipe relationships Seattle shopping Silpada sleep slow cooking soup South America spices stress sunshine time tired Tom Douglas townhouse transformation travel vegan walk walking weather weekend work workout workshop

Categories

  • Uncategorized

Blogroll

  • 32 Dreams
  • A Lot on Your Plate
  • Alaskagirlatheart
  • Amaryllis sillyramA
  • Belle Grove
  • Bucket List
  • Everywhere Once
  • Going Dutch
  • Lady Romp
  • Maggie's One Butt Kitchen
  • Makeup by Tiffany D
  • Makeup Geek
  • Moment Matters
  • Rogue Wave Media
  • Sybaritica
  • The Ranting Chef
  • The Walk & Talk

Archives

Blog Stats

  • 24,923 hits

Search fivenineteen

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Twitter Updates

Tweets by five19

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • fivenineteen
    • Join 119 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • fivenineteen
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: